Fireworks
by scifiromance
Summary: Chakotay and Seven have a small misunderstanding while on holiday together in London... Post-Endgame C/7 one-shot. :)


Seven couldn't help but exhale a small, anxious sigh as she looked down at the darkened street below. It was quiet, even peaceful, a few London residents, and tourists like herself, dawdling calmly down the grand old side street, taking advantage of the fact that it was no longer raining. She drew the heavy curtain aside and began to take off the grey suit she'd fretted over that morning, her relief turning to unease as she glanced over at the dress she had laid out over the back of the hotel room's faded velvet chair, was it really appropriate for a simple evening meal out? She looked critically around the room she stood in for a moment, was _any_ of this really appropriate? It wasn't that she disliked staying here, the service had been as gracious and unobtrusive as the building itself, an unquestionably elegant sandstone townhouse built, according to the brochure, during the "Georgian" period of 18th Century Britain. It perhaps wasn't as efficient as a modern 24th Century building would've been, but she had to admit that the architectural style was admirable. The plush four poster bed also had much to recommend it. Still, it bothered her that Chakotay had put so much effort into making this trip impressive, since the true purpose of it was the job interview she'd had today. She could have transported here by herself and been back to their small apartment in San Francisco within hours, with minimal disruption to their normal lives, but Chakotay had insisted on making the journey a weekend break, even asking her Aunt Irene over from Stockholm to accompany her around London the day before while he completed some unspecified "errands". He'd put so much effort into making sure she appreciated London that she was at the point of believing that he was determined she take the job and move away from him. She was now strongly regretting even considering the job in the first place, because she'd always known that the last thing she wanted to do was leave Chakotay. Although the rational part of her mind, the part that remembered his declarations of love over the past months, fought the notion passionately, the mere flicker of an idea that Chakotay didn't mind if they were parted by distance, perhaps even desired it that way, was enough to set the kindling of anxiety buried in her heart aflame.

"Seven, are you nearly ready?" Chakotay's deep voice travelled cheerily to her ears from through the door of the room's en-suite, which was sitting slightly ajar.

Seven froze for an instant before pulling herself together, snatching up the dress hurriedly and starting to climb into it, her nervously damp hands slipping on the delicate silken fabric. "I am almost prepared." She called back in a shaky reply.

Chakotay emerged from the en-suite a few seconds later, his fitted dark navy shirt still needing cufflinks but otherwise looking perfectly turned out in smart black dress trousers, a matching jacket thrown casually over one of his lithe arms. Seeing his reflection coming towards her as she stood in front of the full length mirror was enough to stop Seven in her tracks, dress still unzipped. Chakotay's grin, already wide at the sight of her, grew when he saw her reaction to him. "I'm guessing this outfit meets with your approval then?" he asked teasingly, chuckling fondly when she just smirked in response and then stepping swiftly toward to help her with the dress. He felt her shiver at the closeness of his fingers to her skin, but quickly suppressed the lust it aroused in him, for now. Tonight was important, special. He didn't want to get too distracted. The full effect of the dress through, still managed to pull an awestruck gasp from him. "You look beautiful…absolutely amazing."

Seven smiled at him gratefully, able to hear his sincerity and see it in his eyes, as well as feel the warm, almost reverential, breath caressing the back of her neck. "You're certain its not too…extravagant?" she asked uncertainly, tugging at the skirt and, despite herself, feeling a girlish thrill run through her at the swish of the fine layer of crinoline brushing her legs.

Chakotay shook his head firmly, astounded, as he often was, by her view of herself. Her complete lack, no, total incomprehension, of vanity was one of the things he loved about her, but in parallel her low self-esteem often upset and frustrated him. If only she could she herself through _his_ eyes for a moment, then she'd know how beautiful she really was, outside and in. "No. You look great in everything you wear but that dress is _perfect_ on you. Especially for tonight, it suits where we're going."

Seven studied the dress. It _did_ fit her perfectly, but then it should have done, the shop she'd purchased it from had had an in-house seamstress. It had a ballerina length skirt, widely pleated, with the panels alternating between a lovely pale shade of jade green and a rich cream colour. The jade green continued up the bodice, with accents of cream ribbon trimming the square neckline and wide shoulder straps. The finishing touch was a band of the same cream ribbon around her waist, culminating in a carefully constructed silk rose which was positioned just over her hip. It was undoubtedly flattering, and Seven had to admit she felt better in it than she'd ever thought a piece of clothing would make her feel, but she'd still baulked at buying it when there were plenty of perfectly good dresses she could replicate for the evening. Her Aunt Irene had dug her heels in however, insisting that she deserved something unique and that she'd want something to remember this trip by in coming years. Seven had eventually given in, although she'd been unsettled by the fact that Irene seemed to think this vacation important, a "milestone" she'd said. What would it be like if she later had to tell her that the only milestone this trip commemorated was when Chakotay broke up with her for the sake of career?

"It "suits" a meal at a restaurant?" She eventually asked doubtfully, unable to stop her eyebrows from rising.

Chakotay's expression momentarily became panicked, as if caught out, then smiled slightly to himself and shrugged. "Why not?" He placed his broad, warm hands on her shoulders, stroking them affectionately but frowned at the tension he felt there. "What's wrong?" he murmured in concern, pressing his lips to the back of her neck, "You're really tense sweetheart."

It was Seven's turn now to shift uncomfortably, "It's nothing." She assured him hurriedly, "I suppose I'm slightly tired after the interview, that's all."

His hand moved to rub soothing circles in the small of her back, the other remaining on her shoulder to give it a supportive squeeze. "Don't worry about that now, they offered the post to you didn't they? It's such a big opportunity for you, just what you wanted…"

Seven couldn't restrain a soft sigh. "Yes, I suppose it is, in many ways…" She conceded weakly.

Chakotay must've seen something in her face that truly worried him for he gently spun her around to face him. "Listen…" He gulped hard as all of his well-laid plans started to slip out of his hands, "If you really don't feel up to it we don't have to go out tonight…"

The disappointment in his gaze, in the dark eyes she loved to lose herself in, overwhelmed Seven with a powerful rush of guilt. After all, she was probably imagining things, letting her fears affect their relationship. She had no reason to doubt his love and commitment to her, hadn't he proven that even before they'd left Voyager and innumerable times since then? All they were doing was going out to dinner. "No, I am fine. Of course we're going out, just as you've arranged." She answered, banishing her dark thoughts by leaning into his chest for comfort. Slipping on the pumps which matched her dress, she handed him his cufflinks firmly. "Let's go."

* * *

Whatever resolutions Seven had made to truly enjoy the evening and dismiss her concerns were forgotten by the time they'd left the restaurant. Something just wasn't right! Their conversation, which usually flowed so easily, had been stilted, even strained. She'd tried at first, knowing it was probably at least partially to do with her own darkened mood, but had soon given up as she sensed Chakotay's sudden onset of nervousness around her, often starting a thread of conversation before trailing off, obviously distracted. He was avoiding talking seriously to her, and since they'd always been honest and frank, that hurt her a great deal. Soon their table at the quaint little bistro he'd chosen had began to drown in silences as Seven began to withdraw into herself, her imagination conjuring up scenarios each worse than the last, but all of them ending with her alone, without him. Her descent into unvoiced dread was of course noticed by Chakotay and increased his anxiety further, and thus the situation between them became a vicious circle.

Eventually, Chakotay pushed his plate away, knowing that the food would be expensive but unable to remember anything about it, from taste to texture. "I think its time to move on, we'll be late." He remarked, annoyed by how nervous he sounded as he stood up hurriedly, his jelly like legs waiting until the last possible second to cooperate.

He moved to pull her chair back for her as she stood, but Seven remained stubbornly seated, a perplexed frown marring her face and with her lips tightly pursed. "Late for what exactly?" she asked tersely, her tone a knife-edge away from tilting into frustrated anger.

Chakotay tried not to show how taken aback he was by her reaction. This night wasn't turning out like he'd anticipated at all! Still, he was determined to get there in the end, and so smiled at her charmingly, "Just wait and see, it's only a short walk away from here."

Seven's heart, which had been hammering painfully in her chest, slowed a little as a new possibility occurred to her. "You're planning a surprise of some sort?" she asked tentatively, knowing she sounded a little too hopeful.

Chakotay took her hand firmly in his and began to pull her away, "Come on." He replied, a teasing grin of anticipation on his lips that, for the moment, put Seven's mind gladly at ease.

As they stepped out of the restaurant their ears were struck by a harsh bang above them. Seven gave a violent start, stiffening in Chakotay's arms. Chakotay also tensed instinctively, an indicator of how much both of their lives had been spent under attack of some sort. "What was that?" Seven questioned sharply, her eyes scanning their surroundings alertly.

Chakotay laughed to himself as he saw what had unsettled them unravelling brightly over the inky sky. "It's just fireworks!" He pointed them out to her just as a cascade of popping sounds sent spirals of golden sparks dancing through the air.

Seven watched with him the spectacular show unfolding above them before her analytical habits kicked in rudely. "Is this to celebrate another minor show of independence?"

Chakotay shook his head, sighing over her rather harsh assessment of the 4th of July. "No, Britain never had to gain independence in that way." He answered, "I don't know…" He stopped as the smell of wood smoke nearby trigged some long filed away memory, "Wait, what's the date today?"

"Stardate 527811.5. The 5th of November 2378." Seven supplied easily.

Chakotay snapped his fingers in realisation. "Remember, remember the 5th of November! I learned about this in my cultural traditions class back at the Academy, it's "Bonfire Night" tonight. I didn't think they still celebrated that…"

"Explain." Seven interrupted impatiently as she now noticed that over in the nearby park a large group were cheering at they threw an effigy of a man onto a large fire, presumably the "bonfire" Chakotay had spoken of.

"I think it's to celebrate a foiled plot to blow up a government building in the early 17th Century." Chakotay answered uncertainly, "They symbolically throw a prop on the fire to represent the main plotter, Guy Fawkes."

Seven gave a slight frown as she considered this. "Human traditions are often significantly more blood-thirsty than I would ever have anticipated."

Chakotay gave a small chuckle at the truth in that statement. "Maybe, but that's what makes them interesting. It looks fun nowadays, food and fireworks. Let's go look."

Seven halted as they entered the park, "Aren't we going to be late for whatever you had arranged?"

Chakotay glanced at his watch, glad to see that they were running early. "We've got a few minutes. We won't be able to see all the fireworks, but maybe next year…"

Seven froze, swallowing hard as she shot him an accusatory glare. "Why are you so certain I'll be here next year?" she asked pointedly.

Chakotay was confused by the heat in her gaze. "Well, your new job is stationed here, right?"

"It is." Seven replied impatiently, "But why are _you_ so determined for me to accept it? Do you want us to live apart that badly? Is our current arrangement so terrible for you?" Tears began to weigh down her voice and it cracked painfully as she stared at him, her face full of hurt.

"Live apart?" Chakotay echoed, brows furrowing, "What are you talking about?" He reached out for her but she backed away, stumbling backwards over the damp grass.

"If I have to move here for that job and you stay in San Francisco, then…" She began thickly.

The root of her misunderstanding clicked into place in Chakotay's mind. "But Seven, I _wouldn't _be staying in San Francisco if you moved here." He told her categorically, "That's mostly what I was doing yesterday, researching jobs around here for me."

Seven suddenly felt weak, the tension that had been propelling her forward all day abruptly slackened by shock. "You were?" she choked out, almost disbelievingly, "Why didn't you inform me?"

"I didn't want you getting stressed about my prospects when you had that big interview yourself." Chakotay explained earnestly, moving swiftly forward to grab hold of her as she wobbled.

Seven had to hold onto to his strong shoulders for a moment to stay upright as she attempted to gather her scattered thoughts. "You…you always intended to come with me?"

"Yes, of course I did!" Chakotay replied firmly, "What else was I ever going to do?" he asked her, honestly not knowing the answer.

Seven began to blush deeply, feeling ridiculous and thoroughly ashamed of herself. "I…" She bit hard down on her lip as tears threatened to flow.

Seeing the torment on her face brought a decision to Chakotay's mind and he knelt down on the wet grass in front of her, still holding her by the waist. "This was supposed to wait until later…" He muttered almost to himself as he dug around frantically in his jacket pocket, "But I have a feeling that if I don't make everything clear now I won't get another chance." He finally found what he was looking for and presented Seven with a small box of crimson velvet. "I'm asking you to be my wife Seven."

If Chakotay hadn't already been holding her upright with his free hand, Seven would have fallen over to join him on the grass. She stared down at him in silence for several long seconds as beads of sweat broke out on Chakotay's brow. "You're…You're asking me to…" She started to repeat faintly, heaving sob escaping in her sigh of relief as Chakotay nodded fervently. Upon seeing that, she flung herself down in his arms, her face so desperately buried in his shoulder that her answer was muffled, "Yes, yes…"

Chakotay breathed a sigh of relief of his own now, pulling her tightly into him and rubbing her back rhythmically as she fought sobs. "You want to see the ring?" he suggested gently as she eventually pulled back from him slightly. Her shaking hands struggled to get the box open, but it was worth it when she did. Inside, nestled safely in the velvet, was a slim yellow gold ring with a large, exquisitely cut ruby gleaming in the centre and two slightly smaller diamonds glittering on either side. "I know it's a diamond ring traditionally, but…" Chakotay began to explain sheepishly when she didn't speak, "You've always liked red and I thought this one would suit you, be more unique…"

Seven stopped him with a kiss. "You were right, it's perfect."

Seeing, as he slid the ring unto Seven's hand, that she still looked overwhelmed, Chakotay remarked as he continued to hug her reassuringly, "You were so shocked, I didn't think you would be. I know you thought I was acting a little strange. Why else did you think I was making such a fuss over tonight?"

Seven met his gaze shyly, a few final tears sliding down her flushed cheeks as she gulped guiltily, "I…I thought you were going to…break up with me…" She admitted brokenly.

Chakotay felt his mouth fall open. "You thought…" He began disbelievingly before tugging her into him again, "Oh God Seven, how could…" He stopped himself, breathing a hoarse laugh. "If I'm going to dump a woman, I do not take them to dinner and Covent Garden first!" He exclaimed incredulously before saying softly, "No wonder you were so quiet at dinner, I'm glad I didn't wait any longer to ask you…"

"As am I." Seven agreed wholeheartedly, laughing a little herself now as she started to kiss his face, partly to make sure this was real. "What has a garden got to do with this?" she questioned as his full statement sunk in.

"They do open air ballets in Covent Garden." Chakotay explained before giving a sheepish shrug, "I bought us tickets for tonight because I thought it would be romantic."

Seven smiled at him, fully understanding now. "It will be." She said as she leaned in to kiss him passionately, just as another firework went off, "But we can afford to be late by a few more minutes."

**A/n: Okay, so I'm a day late to really tie this one-shot in with Bonfire Night, but I hope you all still enjoyed it anyway! :) PLEASE REVIEW! :D **


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